Socket device and socket installation



` March z2, 1955 S. M. DEL CAMP SOCKET DEVICE AND SOCKET INSTALLATIONFiled Jan. ll, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet l `NVENTOR BYAMSLA.

ATTORNEY Sowohl; WNDU, CAM?,

March 22, 1955 5, M DEL CAMP 2,704,836

SOCKET DEVICE AND SOCKET INSTALLATION Filed Jan. l1, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet2 l NVENT OR BYGQWM- TmRNeY Smmon M. DEL CAM?,

United States Patent O SOCKET DEVICE AND SOCKET INSTALLATION Scipione M.Del Camp, Maywood, Ill., assignor to Cinch ufacturing Corporation,Chicago, lll., a corporation of Illinois Application January 11, 1951,Serial No. 205,580

3 Claims. (Cl. 339-192) This invention relates to electrical socketdevices and particularly to a socket unit of novel form for electricalconnection with an electric discharge device of the type known as acavity resonator.

One object of my invention is the provision of a socket assemblycomprising a socket body carrying prong-receiving terminals and amounting member secured to the socket body and providing an attachingportion in fastened engagement with the resonator device to assistmaintenance of the electrical connection between the prong ergiinals ofthe resonator and the contacts of the socket Another object is theprovision of a mounting member which not only aids attachment of thesocket to the resonator, but also electrically engages the cathodeconductor of the resonator so as to effect a soldering terminal forgrounding the cathode.

Still another object of my invention relates to a socket assemblycomprising a socket body and a mounting member in which the mountingmember is easily and eciently moved into attachment to the socket body.

Referring to the drawings in which I have illustrated preferredembodiments of my invention;

Fig. l is a fragmentary front plan view partly in section of anelectrical connection embodying my invention and including an electronictube which is preferably a cavity resonator electrically engaged with animproved socket device;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the terminal end of the cavity resonator perse;

Fig. 3 is an exploded front plan view of the parts of the socket deviceprior to assembly;

Fig. 4 is a side View of the parts of the socket device in assembledrelation;

Fig. 5 is a section taken along the line 5--5 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a top view of the mounting member of the socket device;

Fig. 7 is a front plan view of a modified form of mounting member; v

Fig. 8 is a plan view of a modied form of socket body.

Referring to the installation illustrated in Fig. l, I have shown a plugunit in the form of an electronic tube 1 of the type known as a cavityresonator. The tube 1 provides an outer metal shell 2 closed at itslower end by a cup shaped metal stamping 3 which is insulated from theshell 2 by a band of insulating material 4. The base 5 of the member 3has a tubular conductor 6 which is drawn from the base 5 and extendsdownwardly therefrom. The conductor 6 is in soldered engagement with asleeve member 7 which has resilient fingers 8 at its upper end inelectrical engagement with the tubular cathode lead 9 which projectsbeyond the lower end of the conductor 6. As a result of the constructionof the cavity resonator, the tubular conductor 6 is electricallyconnected to the cathode lead 9 through the sleeve member 7. The cavityresonator has a pair of prong-like heater .leads 10 which are disposedwithin the cathode lead 9 and insulated from the cathode by dielectricmaterial 11. The terminals 10 project below the outermost end of thecathode 9 for electrical engagement with socket contact elements carriedby a cooperating socket body. The cavity resonator of my preferredinstallation also provides a pair o f exhaust terminals 12 the ends ofwhich may project slightly beyond the lower end of the cathode 9. The.exhaust terminals 12 are insulated from the heater terminals 10 and thecathode 9 by the insulating material 11.

The socket device in my preferred embodiment com- 2,704,836 PatentedMar. 22, 1955 rice prises a socket body 13 of insulating material whichis preferably of cylindrical form having a pair of openings 14 (Fig. 5)in its upper end 13a for receiving the heater terminals 10. A socketcontact 15 is secured in each of the openings 14 and each contactprovides a prong-engaging portion 16 adapted to receive and gripelectrically a heater terminal 10. The contact 15 has a soldering tail17 extending beyond the exterior surface of the socket body 13 to enablea lead wire to be soldered thereto. The socket body 13, in my preferredform, has a second pair of openings 18 (Fig. 5) extending into the upperend 13a of the socket body a predetermined distance to receive the outerends of the exhaust leads 12 when the parts of the installation are inassembly. My preferred form of socket body 13 has a rectangularprojection 19 disposed on the exterior surface 20 of the socket body andpositioned approximately half way between the upper and lower ends ofthe socket body. The projection 19 operates to lock the socket body inassembly with the mounting member of the socket device as will behereinafter described.

The mounting member 21 of the socket device is a clip-like member formedof one piece of spring metal and provides a lower resilient ring-likeelement 22 and an upper resilient ring-like element 23. The ring-likeelements 22 and 23 are disposed in axial alignment one above the otherand integrally joined by the base portion 24 of the mounting memberwhich is common to both ringlike elements. The lower ring-like element22 has a diameter which is normally less than the diameter of the socketbody 13 and provides a slot 25 in its side opposite the base 24 whichextends axially from its upper end 26 to its lower end 27. The width ofthe slot 25 is normally less than the width of the projection 19 of thesocket body for a purpose to be described. A notch or opening 29 isprovided in each of the edges 28 of the ring-like element 22 adjacentthe slot 25. The openings 29 are disposed in opposite relation andcooperate to receive the projection 19 of the socket body when thesocket body is assembled with the mounting member as will be described.ln my preferred embodiment, a radius 30 is provided at the ends of theedges 28 adjacent the ends 26 and 27 of the ring-like element. Theseradii etfect leads for facilitating entrance of the projection 19 intothe slot 25 during assembly of the socket body with the mounting member.The upper ring-like element 23 is preferably of larger diameter than thelower ring-like element 22 and is made resilient by provision of a slot31 disposed on an opposite side of an element from the base 24 andextending from the upper end 32 of the element 23 to the lower end 33.The element 23 has a diameter normally smaller than the diameter of theconductor 6 for a purpose to be described. The upper end 32 of thering-like element 23 may be flared as at 34 so as to eiect a lead forattachment of the ring-like element 23 to the tubular conductor 6 of thetube 1. In view of the fact that the mounting member 21 acts as a groundconnection as well as a fastener, it has a terminal soldering tail 35which in my preferred form is integrally joined to the lower end 27 ofthe ring-like element 22.

In the preferred method of assembling the parts of the socket device,the socket body 13 is moved into the lower end of ring-like element 22with the projection 19 in alignment with the slot 25. During this actionthe projection 19 will engage the edges 28 of the ring-like element 22and expand the same permitting the projection 19 to move upwardly alongthe slot 25 until it is received within the openings 29-29. When theprojection 19 is in this position, the portions of the ring-like element22 contract so that the shoulders 36 formed at the upper and lower endsof the notches 29-29 overlie and underlie the respective upper and lowerends of the projection 19 to resist movement of the socket body 13axially of the element 22 in either an upward or downward direction. Asa result of the fact that the normal diameter of the ring-like element22 is less than the normal diameter of the socket body 13, the ring-likeelement 22 will operate to grip resiliently the exterior surface 20 ofthe socket body thereby to hold the socket body in firm, lockedassembly. The socket body may be removed from assembly with thering-like element 22, if it should be necessary,

by prying the edges 25 of the ring-like element 22 apart toypermit vtheprojection 19 of thesocket body to be moved out of the slot 25 at oneend of the ring-like element.

The socket device comprising the mounting member and the socket bodyassembled therewith, is attached to the tube 1 by aligning the heaterterminals 10 with the openings 14 of the socket body and then moving thering-like element 23 of the mounting member over the tubular' conductor6 until the outermost end 37 of the tube unit abuts or is disposed inclose adjacency to the upper end 13a of the socket body 13. The partsare now in assembled relation with the heater terminals in electricalconnection with the contacts 15 carried by the socket body 13. At thesame time the outer endsV of the exhaust terminals 12 will be disposedin the openings 18 of the socket body. in order to insure alignment ofthe heater terminals 10 with the socket contacts 15 when the socketdevice is moved into assembly with the tube, the socket device is turnedso that the piane of a line through the center of the locking projection19 axially of the socket body coincides with an imaginary lineconnecting the two heater terminals 10. As a result of the fact that thering-like element 23 normally has a diameter less than the diameter ofthe tubular conductor lead 6, the ring-like element 23 will expandduring movement over the lead 6 to engage frictionally the lead 6 andthereby secure the socket device in tirm attachment to the tube 1. Atthe same time, the frictional engagement between the ring-like element23 and the tubular conductor lead 6 will effect a lirm electricalengagement between the parts with the result that the mounting memberprovides an electrical connection between the cathode of the tube and alead wire (not shown) soldered to the tail 35 of the mounting member.

A modied construction of my socket device is illustrated in Figs. 7 and8. In the modiiied form, the projection 19 is omitted from thecylindrical socket body 38 with the result that the socket body has asmooth exterior surface. My modified form-of mounting member 39 isgenerally similar to the mounting member 21 of my first form andprovides upper and lower ring-like elements 40 and 41 respectively. Thering-like element 40 has a slot 42 and the ring-like element 41 has aslotp43 each of which extends axially from one end to the other of itsrespective ring-like element to effect resiliency. The edges of thering-like element 41 adjacent the slot 43 are not notched as in the ringin assembly with the ring-like element 41 solely through the frictionalforces which the ring-like element 41 exerts on the exterior surface ofthe socket body 38. It has been found that in some installations thisfrictional engagement between the parts without a locking means servesto maintain efficiently the parts in assembly.

In the preferred method of assembling my second form of socket devicewith the tube 1, the socket bodyv 38 is first moved toward the terminalend of the tube 1 to en gage the socket contacts 44 carried thereby withthe heater terminals 10 of the tube. The engagement between theterminals 10 and the socket contacts 44 operates to hold the parts ininitial attached assembly. Thereafter, the ring-like element 40 of themounting member 39 is moved over the socket body 38 to embracefrictionally the tubular conductor 6. At the same time, the ring-likeelement 41 will move over the socket body 38 to grip resiliently thesame and hold the socket body in firm assembly with the tube 1. Thesocket body 38 is preferably provided with an annular radius 45 at itslower end 46 to assist passage of the socket body into the ring-likeelement 41 during the assembly operation just described. The socket body38 may also have an annular radius 47 at its upper end 48 to facilitateentrance of the socket body into the ring-like element 41 should it bedesired to, assemble the socket body with the mounting member prior tomoving the mounting member and thesocket body as a unit into vassemblywith the tube 1.

Although I have illustrated and described preferred embodiment'sof myinvention, I do not wish to be limited thereby because the scope of myinvention is best defined by the following claims.

I claim: k

1. An electricalsocket device comprising a socket body of insulatingmaterial carrying contact members for receiving' prong terminals, saidbody having a locking element projecting from its exterior surface, anda metal mounting .member for holding said socket body in assembly with acooperating plug unit, said mounting member having a ring-like elementresiliently embracing the exterior surface of said socket body, saidring-like element having an opening receiving said projection ininterlocking connection, and an attaching element integral with saidmountingmember for attachment to said plug unit.

2. An electrical socket device comprising a socket body of insulatingmaterial carrying contact members for receiving prong terminals, saidbody having a locking elelike element 22 of my rstA form with the resultthat the socket body 38 is maintained ment projecting from its exteriorsurface, and a metal mounting member for holding said socket body inassembly witha cooperating plug unit, said mounting member providing aring-like element resiliently embracing the exterior surface of saidsocket body, said ring-like element having a slot extending axially fromend to end, an edge of said ring-like element adjacent said slot havingan opening therein, said locking element being received in said slotduring assembly of said socket body with said ringlike element, saidlocking element being of greater width than said slot to expand saidring-like element during said assembly to engage said locking element inassembly with said ring-like element within said opening, and anattaching element integral with said ring-like element for attachment tosaid plug unit.

3. The device described in claim 2 in which said attaching element is inthe form of a second ring-like element having an axial passage inalignment With the axial passage of said ring-like element embracingsaid socket body.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS (2ndaddition to No. 766,524)

